Iowa’s Content Taxonomy

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What is a taxonomy?�

Why is taxonomy important?

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Will there be an enterprise taxonomy?�

How will each department build their taxonomy?

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What is a taxonomy?

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Taxonomy literally means “method of arrangement.”

• Lisa Maria Martin (Everyday Information Architecture)

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Think “categories”.

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Categories are one of many ways content can be found.

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Don’t think “tags”, which are unlimited per piece of content.

• Tagging as categories = generate categories during creation, might only be on one piece of content
• Tagging with keywords = hidden, won’t display to the user

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Each grocery store uses a taxonomy.

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Some systems are better than others.

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Why is taxonomy important?

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An intuitive taxonomy:

• Makes searching & finding easier
• Improves overall user experience
• Results in less support calls

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Sort = Arrange content according to established rules.

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Classify = Decide how to sort something within a taxonomy.

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Build relationships

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• Screenshot (front of stage, user filters and tags)

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List, filter & search

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• Taxonomies can be used to filter listing pages

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Will there be an enterprise taxonomy?

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Across the platform, each website will get:

• Taxonomies within certain content types (editable)
• A taxonomy for divisions & sections (editable, blank)
• A taxonomy for topics (editable, blank)

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Content type taxonomy

F I R S T

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• Only one at a time per piece of content
• Nested within a single content type
• Some content type lists will have pre-filled options
• Editable by Taxonomy Managers
• More to come in Phase 2

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Content type taxonomy

F I R S T

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• News Types (News, Press Release)
• Document Types (Document, Form, Publication)
• Event Type (Course, Meeting, Public Event)
• Event Series
• Contact Type
• Location Type

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Division/section taxonomy

S E C O N D

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• Use to help users filter content based on a specific division or section of your agency
• Here is an example of Division/section categories from what was ABD’s site (now merged into DOR):
• Alcohol & Tax Operations
• Alcohol Licensing
• Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Commission

• Liquor Distribution
• Regulation
• Tobacco Enforcement

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Topic taxonomy

T H I R D

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• One shared set per website
• Flat list, won’t “nest”
• Applicable to almost any type of page content
• Open to be decided and built within agency
• Editable by content managers with taxonomy access

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Topic taxonomy: Example

T H I R D

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Here is an example of Iowa.gov’s work-in-progress categories:

• Assistance Programs
• Business
• Education
• Employment & Unemployment
• Environment
• Elections & Government
• Health & Family
• Laws & Safety

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• Living in Iowa
• Military
• Moving to Iowa
• Personal Records
• Professional Licenses
• Recreation
• Taxes & Finance
• Transportation

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Sort new content using the most relevant category, making it easier to find and connecting pieces of content together.

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Each piece of content can have 0, 1, or 2 topics.

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Category taxonomy: Question

S E C O N D

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Can we limit to one category per piece of content, or will authors need the ability to add multiple categories?

What are your use cases?

Answer at bit.ly/iowa-cats

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How will each department build their taxonomy?

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Taxonomy creation will be based on role permissions granted to content managers, so not all authors will be involved.

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It’s easier to categorize your site content once you know what you have. Start by getting familiar with the variety of pages.

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Classify by:

1. User needs and tasks
2. Business goals
3. Content’s current state
4. Content’s strategic future

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Create 6-18 categories, on a flat hierarchy, to group your content.

• Work together to uncover needs for new categories. Iterate over time.

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Write (and rewrite) labels that are clear, specific, inclusive, and consistent.

• Combine labels using “&”.

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Be mindful of misspellings, inconsistencies and overlaps in categories.

• Review existing categories before adding new ones.

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Category creation process

A C T I V I T Y

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1. Review all your existing content at a high level.
2. Review any user data, searches, or other feedback for keywords.
3. Come up with a classification system draft based on user needs and language.
4. Adjust your rules and labels as content ‘breaks’ the system.
5. Continue to refine categories over time based on author feedback.

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Thanks!

Questions?

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